3.04.2014

LENT 2014

It is that time, tomorrow (3/5/14) marks the first day of Lent. As previously discussed, I am a non-denominational follower of Jesus Christ and I am not "required" to give anything up for Lent according to the Bible or my church. I believe that when Christ died for me, it was a free gift of grace and I can in no way earn this gift. (Ephesians 2:8-9  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."What I can do, is take this opportunity to give something up to remind myself of the sacrifice Christ made for me. While it is in NO WAY on the same level as God's sacrifice, it is a great way to prepare my mind and heart for the Easter season ahead. You may remember 2 years ago I gave up Social Media (POST HERE)- that was an AWESOME reminder and such freedom to hit the restart button on being so "plugged in". Last Year I gave up shopping (POST HERE) that was a good reminder as well.
I always try to give something up that is a) a constant "temptation" so that I am constantly reminded (i.e. it always "hurts" a bit!) b) not totally selfish (i.e. something that will help me loose weight and be ready for swimsuit season :) and c) something that will witness to my girls that no matter what we love in this life, nothing is so important to us that we can't make a sacrifice for the Lord- with a JOYFUL heart! My goal is this, I am not going to be whining around about this sacrifice- I am going to joyfully give the attention to God, he deserves it ALL of the time! (If you find me crying around, please feel free to firmly remind me of the Joyful Heart part...)
SO....are you ready for it??? Let me begin by saying, this would not be a sacrifice for everyone. Some people will probably not understand this at all- but for those of you who know me...you will know...it is huge!!! DRUMMMMROLLLLLL.....Coffee! Oh my goodness sakes, I am giving up Coffee for 6 weeks! Not a lick of it. It almost makes my heart hurt just thinking about it. I love coffee at breakfast time, I love coffee iced, I love coffee with Baileys,  I love coffee with cream, I love coffee black, I love coffee lukewarm, I love coffee with lunch, I love coffee on a cold day, I love coffee on a hot day, I love coffee in my martini, I love coffee ice cream, I love chocolate covered coffee beans, I love coffee after dinner, I love coffee in my bed, in my car, at my desk, on my couch, at a restaurant, at the mall, while walking, sitting, standing, laying....I love coffee anywhere, anytime, anyplace....but I love Jesus more...and I am excited to remind myself of the amazing gift He gave me on the cross and the unending eternal hope He gave me when that tomb was empty! 

So what about you- are you giving anything up? I would love to hear your ideas! 


HERE are some past Easter posts.

And make sure to follow my Easter Pinterest board- I am on the hunt for fun Easter ideas! 
HAPPY EASTER! 

4 comments:

  1. Jenica, I love this! I've felt this way about Lent for years. It's an opportunity to intentionally be focused on Christ and get a little uncomfortable to honor Him. I haven't decided what to give up this year (guess I better get deciding!), but love the encouragement and balance in your post. Here's to a life that shows we #loveJesus!

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  2. Jenica, what a great blog. I too love coffee, but already gave it up with this pregnancy. I just had this discussion with Janelle on Monday. My Mom always required us to give up sweets/candy during lent to remind us of the sacrifice the Lord gave for us. Janelle looked appalled listening to that story & said "mom, your not making us do that are you?". I hadn't really thought about it, but it always made a great impact on me. Lent is my favorite time of the year. I find myself emotional at all the lenten church services. What a great time for self reflection, personal time with Christ and thanksgiving for the gift He gave us all. Happy Ash Wednesday!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Brenda! I LOVE Easter too- I did not grow up giving anything up, but I love the reminder and focus!

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